Wärtsilä's 2-stroke dual-fuel technology will be featured on two new, large 180,000 cbm LNG carriers.
South Korea’s Samsung Heavy Industries and SK Shipping and Marubeni are building the carriers that will be powered by 6-cylinder Wärtsilä X62DF 2-stroke dual-fuel engines. The ships will be the largest LNG carriers able to pass through the Panama Canal after its planned expansion in 2015.
Wärtsilä has already supplied more than 150 ships with its 4-stroke, low pressure dual fuel engines.
The 2-stroke development was introduced in November 2013. This engine technology combines efficient fuel consumption and low investment costs. The benefits already proven with the Wärtsilä 4-stroke dual fuel engines can now be applied to 2-stroke engines, which are widely popular in merchant vessels. Both the Wärtsilä 2-stroke and 4-stroke, low pressure dual-fuel engines are compliant with the IMO's Tier III regulations without need of secondary exhaust treatment systems.
The scope of supply for these ships includes two 6-cylinder Wärtsilä X62DF main engines per vessel together with the required electricity generator sets powered by Wärtsilä 34DF dual-fuel engines. The main engines will be built by a Korean licensee and the deliveries are scheduled for the 1Q 2016. The first ship is due for delivery in the 1Q 2017.
The vessels will be chartered by a UK subsidiary of the French oil major, Total S.A.